Tesla Model Q Crosses 600-Mile Threshold in Independent Range Test
Tesla's mass-market Model Q electric vehicle exceeded 600 miles of range in the EPA's official confirmatory test, the first sub-$35,000 EV to break that barrier.
The Model Q has crossed a line that EV skeptics said would take a decade to reach. In EPA confirmatory testing conducted this month, the standard-range Model Q — the $32,900 version with CATL's third-generation lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells — achieved 603 miles of range on the combined city-highway cycle.
The result stunned even Tesla's own engineers. Internal projections had the car reaching 520 miles; the actual figure came in 16% higher, driven by a combination of a new drag coefficient of 0.19 (the lowest of any production car), a 25% reduction in drivetrain losses, and Tesla's updated HVAC heat pump system that draws 40% less energy in cold weather.
The Long-Range variant, priced at $39,900, tested at 712 miles — a figure that prompted industry veteran Sandy Munro to comment on X that "the range anxiety conversation is officially over."
The EPA has opened a public comment period on whether to update its official range-testing protocol, which currently does not account for single-pedal driving optimization, a mode that Model Q drivers have adopted at unusually high rates. The new protocol is expected to take effect for 2028 model-year certifications.
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